Academic Success Festival

By Alana Adams&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Tue 11:11 PM, Oct 25, 2005&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Tue 11:11 PM, Oct 25, 2005

900 students attend Spanish Springs Elementary School, and school administrators say about 60-to-70-percent of those students come back afterschool for this academic festival and bring the parents along. It's a night when mom and dad can see the classrooms, meet the teachers, and just get a feel of how comfortable your child is in their learning environment.

5th grade teacher, Elaine Retzer, says you need to know where your child is academically, so you can help them at home. "You should know where your kid is. You should know what level they're at, so that you're able to help them. And, you want to see their successes and you want to sort of be a safety net for them."

Across the country students are doing better in math, while reading scores are not improving according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The teachers here say a lot of the needed improvement starts at home... and, it doesn't necessarily take a lot of work or time from you.

Dawn Linares is a mother of two, and she says it has become a nightly routine. "I just look at what they need to do for the day. We always read at night. We have a routine at night and we read and talk and discuss the day and how it went at school...."

Understanding whether your child is struggling or succeeding also helps your child feel more confident because they can look to you for support. Michelle Gelinas says her daughter expects her to check in on her homework each night. "I look over their homework. Jordan has a guide that she brings home everyday, and I look through and see what she's doing."

Teachers here say parents can always ask them about how to help at home, sometimes they may know exact areas that you can focus on with your child afterschool.

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